Co-deposition of Ir-containing Zr coating by double glow plasma

Abstract: Ir–Zr co-deposition coatings with 71at% Zr were deposited on graphite by double glow plasma at 1073–1123K. The structure and composition of the coatings were confirmed by FE-SEM, XRD, XPS and EDS. The hardness and the elastic modulus of the coatings were estimated by nanoindentation instrument. The adhesion strength between the coating and the substrate was evaluated by a scratch tester. The results showed that the coating was composed of nanocrystalline grains with a size of 80–90nm compared with 0.5μm for the pure Ir coating. The fine grains of the coatings might be attributed to the additional Zr element. New phases IrZr and ZrC were formed due to the high content of Zr and high deposition temperature. The hardness and elastic modulus of the coatings were about 7.5GPa and 388GPa, respectively. The adhesive force between the coating and the substrate was about 10N. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]